Vehicle braking systems include braking actuators (which may be hydraulic or electromechanical) for applying braking torque to the wheels of a vehicle, thereby tending to slow down the vehicle.
Most of the brake controls that are known for use in aviation make use of a setpoint that is converted either into a pressure if the brakes are hydraulic, or into a force that is to be applied, or into a displacement of the pusher, if the brakes are electromechanically actuated.
Controls making use of a torque setpoint and organizing a feedback loop based on measured torque have been proposed, as in document US 2005/0001474. Those controls present the advantage of taking account of the overall action of the brake by monitoring the torque that it generates, thereby making it possible to adapt to dispersions in the braking torque response for a given braking force.
Nevertheless, controls having a broad passband can interfere with protection for preventing the wheels from locking, particular if there is a phase offset between torque control signals and anti-locking control signals. Under certain grip conditions, torque control delivers a torque setpoint that is temporarily zero in order to prevent the wheels from locking. However, if a wheel locks in untimely manner, then the torque as measured becomes zero quite suddenly and the measured torque is then equal to a torque setpoint of zero. The wheel thus remains locked, and the brake is not controlled for the purpose of releasing the wheel.